Folding machine



April 1929'- G. A. SHAFFER ET AL 1,707,579

FOLDING MACHINE Filed March i4, 192? a Sheets-Sheet 1 gwumliou April 1929. G. A. SHAFFER ET AL 1,707,579

FOLDING MACHINE I Filed March 14, 1827 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 April-2, 1929- s. A. sHAFFE ET AL 1,707,579

FOLDING MACHINE Filed March 14, 1927 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Apr. 2, 1929.

UNITED STATES PATENTOFFICIL GLENN A. SHAFFER AND FRANKLIN H.

wm'rz, or GREEN BAY, wrscousm, as-

SIGNORS TO FORT HOWARD PAPER COMPANY, OF GREEN BAY, 'WIEGONSIN, A COR- PORATION OF WISCONSIN.

Application filed March 14,

margins thereof uponthe central ortion toprovide a final fold presenting ta having 10 their marginslying adjacent and upon the same side of thecentral portion.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a machine adapted to provide the fold above described and to produce the final fold in the act of feeding the quarter folds to a chute from which the finally folded sheets may be removed in readiness to be bound together into packages and wherein the packages shall be of substantially uniform thickness throughout.

Further objects of the invention will appear from the following description when read in connection with the accompanying drawings showing an illustrative embodiment of the invention and wherein Fig. 1 is a front elevation broken away to shorten its length showing one complete folding mechanism;

Fig. 2 is a vertical Fig. 1;

Figs. 3 to 8 inclusive are detail sectional views on line 33'of Fig. 1 showing different positions of the final folding mechanism;

Fig. 9 is .a perspective view of the chute feed and final folding element; and

Fig. 10 is a detail vertical section on line 2--2 of Fig. 1 upon an enlarged scale showing a different position of the tucking means of that shown in Fig. 2.

In practice it .is preferred to provide a machine having two or more' of the attachsection on line 2-2 of ments provided by the inventionupon a single frame, the view of Fig. 1 showing one only of such mechanisms.

The paper to be folded is'supplied to the machine about rollers 10 and the first longitudinal fold is produced about a V-plate 11- .in a wellknown manner from which the paper passes to the creasing and paper advancing rollers 12, 13 from which the paper is fed between severing rollers 14, 15. Roller 15 is shown as provided with a knife 16 adapted 18 into lengths.

ronnme mcnmn.

1927. Serial no. 175,188.

to enter a recess or channel 17 in the roller' 14 when the rollers which are driven synchronously by gearin not shown reach the proper portion of then revolution thus sev-' ering-the folded strip of paper indicated at The thus severed lengths passing between guide rollers 19, 20 pass downwardly past the jopenin between vertically arranged rollers 21, 22 a at which rollers are led the straps 23, 24 preferably drivmg in channels in the rollers 21, 22, an idle roller 25 being provided to deliver the strap 23 to the roller 21. I

The straps'23, 24 are endless bands passing about between rollers 26, 27, the path of stra s 23, 24 being such as to bring a portion of t e. vertical travel of the straps closely adjacent each other as indicated. on Fig. 2 of 7 the drawing.

To fold the lengths of doubled sheets transversely there is shown a tucker member 28 carried by arms 29, 30 mounted upon the shaft 7 31, which Shaft is given an oscillatory motion in a wellknown manner by gearing not shown, which oscillation is properly timed with the revolutionsof the rollers 14, 15 so as to bring the tucker member 28 into contact with the central portion of the doubled 30 lengths as indicated in Fig. 10 to cause the fold produced by the tucker to be gripped between the straps 23, 24 and to be carried downwardly about roller 22 by the contacting straps 23, '24 through their vertical path 5 of motion in contact. To feed the quarter folded lengths to a chute 32 and to simultaneously produce the final fold of the sheets, there 1s shown a reciprocating member 33 mounted upon a rod 34, by which reciprocating member the center. of the quarter .folds is pushed into the chute and thereby withdrawn from straps 23, 24. The rod 34 is reciprocated in properly timed relation to the action of the tucker 28 by wellknown mechanism not shown. To produce'the final fold, the member 33 is shown as faced with yielding resilient material as hair cloth indicated at 35. The width of the facin 35 is substantially the same as the width 0 the final fold desired. To produce the final fold in coaction with the facing 35. the chute 32 is provided upon its inner surto a plane straightening the center 36, 37 having tapering portions 38, 39 and reached when by resilience of the facing member 35, the center of the facing returns portion of the quarter folded sheet. 7'

As the member 33 returns in its reciprocation, the edges 12, 43 of thequarter fold, which are to be formed into tabs as indicated in Fig. 8, are positively folded into contact with the abrupt edges 40, 41- of the plates 36, 37 to the position shown in Fig, 6. A continuation of the return reciprocation of the member 33 again results in a flexure of the edges of the facing 35 in a reverse direction as indicated in Fig. 7 pulling the facing mem her from between the edges 42, f3 of the fold when these edges will snap to the position shown in Fig. '8 to be compressed in this position by pressure of the next sheet to be folded.

Preferably a yielding member 44 is provided in the chute 32 which will yield to the pressure of the reciprocating member, which yielding pressure will result in packing the folded sheets into the chute.

The operation of the device will be clear from the above description.

Minor changes may be made in the form of the invention Within the scope of the appended claims without departing from its spirit.

We claim:

1. A folding machine comprising, in comwith said retaining and resilient means to produce a fold in the sheet.

2. A folding machine comprising, in combination, sheet receiving means having a side wall, a shoulder projecting from said wall, resilient means acting to press a sheet against said shoulder, means to introduce a sheet into said receiving means with compression of said resilient means, to a position to be gripped between said resilient means and said shoulder.

3. A folding machine comprising, in combination, sheet receivingmeans having a side wall provided with a shoulder, means to feed a sheet of'material to a position in front of the receiving means with an edge projecting laterally of said wall, resilient means acting to press sheets in the receiving means against said shoulder, means to introduce the sheet into said receiving means with folding of said projecting portion by contact with the end of the wall and with the shoulder to a position where the thus folded edge will be gripped between said shoulder and said resilient means.

4, A folding machine comprising in combination, a chute, means for simultaneously feeding quarter folded sheets to said chute and for folding the margins thereof upon the central portion thereof comprising a reciproeating member, a facing for said member of resilient material and means carriedb the chute for flexing said facin and sheets ed to said chute wherebyto pro uce a fold in said sheets in the act of feeding the same to the chute.

5; A folding machine comprising in combination, a chute, means for simultaneously feeding quarter folded sheets to said chute and for producing a fold in said sheets comprising a reciprocating member to force said sheets into said chute, a resilient facing for said means having edges supported for flexure, means carried b the chute for simultaneously flexing said e ges and the side ortions of said folds and means carried b t e chute to reversely flex the edges of said resilient member and to grip the side portions of said fold to produce the fold of said sheets and a1 low the withdrawal of said reciprocating member.

6. A folding machine comprising in combination, a chute, means for feeding quarter folded sheets to said chute and simultaneously folding the margins thereof upon the central portion thereof comprising a reciprocating member carrying a rigid plate and a resilient facin of greater width than said plate, said resl ient member having a Width substantially equal to the width of the interior of the chute, plates carried by the mouth of said chute having inwardly tapering portions adaptedto flex the edges of said facing and to simultaneously fold the margins of said quarter folds inwardly,- the inward edge of the said plates provided with shoulders against which said edges may fold the folded edges of said sheet, said shoulders adapted to grip said edges and to cause the edgesof the facing to flex reversely for with drawal from the thus folded sheets.

7. A folding machine comprising in combination, a chute, means carried by said chute to retain folded sheets fed thereto and means for simultaneously feeding sheets to said chute and producing a fold therein comprising reciprocating means, a facing plate rigidly mounted upon said means having a width substantially less than the Width of the final fold and a facing of resilient material carried by said plate having a width substantially the same as the width of the said fold of the sheets. v

8. In a device of the class described, means for simultaneously feeding folded sheets to a chute and producing a fold therein comprising in combination, a reciprocating member, a plate rigidly carried by said member and a facing secured to said plate, said facing being of greater width than said plate, said facing formed of hair cloth.

9. A folding machine comprising, in combination, a sheet receiving chute, means for bringing a sheet to a position facing said chute With a margin extending laterally of said chute, means for feeding said sheet into the chute and for folding said projecting margin upon the central portion of the sheet comprising a reciprocating member, a facing for said member of resilient material and means carried by the chute for flexing said facing and sheet to produce a fold of said sheet in the act of feeding the same to the chute.

GLENN A. SHAFFER. FRANKLIN H. WIRTZ. 

